REVIEW: The Hypocrites' Trifecta of Gilbert & Sullivan Shows Are a Riotous Round of Hilarity Through 2/7/15 #Review #‎ChiILPicksList

Gilbert & Sullivan Rep

It was our great pleasure to catch all 3 of The Hypocrites' Gilbert and Sullivan musicals this past month and we highly recommend you hightail it over to The Den Theatre ASAP and see them. We loved The Mikado last year and couldn't wait to see it again and add H.M.S. Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance to the mix. These shows are great for theatre freaks, kids and adults of all ages, and the reluctant theatre goer as well. They have a small bar right in the performance space and a free range audience that's welcome to move about at will and sit, stand or lounge around the whole performance space or the traditional chairs. Click here and scroll down for loads of our past Hypocrites coverage.

Act Out:  Chicago Theatre openings, closings, reviews, giveaways, ticket sale dates and more via ChiIL Live Shows. 




The whole vibe begins more like a party than a play, with people with drinks in hand milling about and chatting up strangers, kids playing on the multilevel set pieces, and musicians everywhere. At all 3 shows we saw, there in the fray was director, Sean Graney, grinning ear to ear. And he had every right to beam like the Cheshire Cat. The Hypocrites are on to something magical and spectacular! 

I think Sean has the right idea. I kinda want to join him and spend the whole winter in The Hypocrites world of playful fun and light!

Here at ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama we can't think of a better way to spend the darkest, coldest days of the year than under the twinkling circus tent lights with The Hypocrites. Their trifecta of Gilbert & Sullivan musicals is a joyful celebration of light, color, music and ridiculous rhyme. We've never seen any troupe make better use of the promenade style. They don't just break down the 4th wall, they run rings around it! 

The Mikado is still our pick of the litter, but we dug all 3 and suggest you get a package deal and do it up right. I mean, come on, where else can you find a talented tribe of rag tag minstrels to serenade you in a pillow pile at the foot of a slide where you can snuggle a passel of stuffed animal cats, or on bunk beds, or in a rubber duckie filled kiddy pool sans water for cripes sake! I dare you not to grin. Perfect for a date night or fam friendly fun. 



We're also absofreakinlutely loving The Den Theatre's new performance space with no steep stairs, a bountiful bar and a spacious, open performance area! Joy. 

The Hypocrites' unique take on new and traditional works is something to see! Highly recommended. 

Do you want to come back to the show again? Do you want to see the other two in rep? Do you want to encourage others to do so and get a $6 discount per ticket? We created the code "comeback" for you to enter at checkout in order to do just that. 

Here's the Official Scoop:

Gilbert and Sullivan Rep 2014-15

November 26, 2014 – February 7, 2015

Music Direction by Andra Velis Simon Gilbert & Sullivan Rep Directed by Sean Graney and Thrisa Hodits featuring the world premiere adaptation of H.M.S. Pinafore Adaption by Sean Graney, Matt Kahler & Andra Velis Simon along with the highly anticipated return of BOTH Pirates of Penzance  Adaption by Sean Graney & Kevin O'Donnell and Mikado Adaption by Sean Graney The Hypocrites’ 2014-15 Season will continue in December 2014 with another world premiere: a playful re-imaging of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera H.M.S. PINAFORE, adapted and directed by Sean Graney, with new arrangements by Matt Kahler and Andra Velis Simon. In what has become an annual celebration of the Gilbert and Sullivan canon, H.M.S. PINAFORE will run in repertory with remounts of the company’s wildly popular productions of THE MIKADO and THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, also adapted and directed by Graney. Reviews: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★)    “The Hypocrites apply their winning formula of hip deconstruction and dark comedy to the cherished operetta” Chicago Tribune “Spirited, affectionate, and nearly irresistible” Boston Globe “Terrific…The Hypocrites’ musicianship has never sounded better.” TimeOut Chicago For the full schedule of the rep, click here Missed All Our Tragic this time around? Saw it but wanted to come back or tell your friends? Well now you have a second chance Buy your tickets for next summer now Looking ahead to 2015: Pirates of Penzance, Mikado and HMS Pinafore  now-February 7th (tickets on sale here) Endgame by Samuel Beckett Directed by Halena Kays Feb-April 2015 (tickets on sale soon) Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov Directed by Geoff Button April-June 2015 (tickets on sale soon) Remount of All Our Tragic June-August 2015  (tickets on sale here) Announcement of their 19th season coming April 2015 plus a lot of exciting surprises   to be announced throughout the year

ACT OUT: More bang for the bear... at Redmoon Theatre #ChiILPicksList #DiscountCode

Bellboys, Bears and Baggage at Redmoon

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar

This bear has endured a marshmallow firing range and a host of entertaining indignities and adventures! On the bright side, he's working more shows than many Chicago equity actors and he's finally got TOP billing in Redmoon Theatre's new promenade style spring show where he'll be joined by 7 more of his kin. We can "bearly" contain our excitement. Bah dum bum. Sorry... couldn't resist.  Come "Wonder Around" indeed! 

DO THE MATH:  27 rooms + a cast of 35-40 including 12 masked actors + 8 bellboys/guides + 8 bears/agents of chaos + one bike riding bar tending BEAR = the potential for one heck of a fun night!!

ChiIL Mama's Skelebration Shots -- Redmoon Day of the Dead 2013:

Click here to check out loads of our past Redmoon coverage (22+ features).  Then check them out in action through June 8th.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama, we have enjoyed Redmoon's unique vision for decades now. We can't wait to check out Bellboys Bears and Baggage.  We'll be there for sure... will YOU?! Redmoon knows how to rock a theme and their quirky, visual, multimedia extravaganzas are must see theatre. All ages. 

Bellboys, Bears and Baggage... AND BARDS?!

If that's not enough to entice you... throw in Shakespeare and you've got a deal!

Redmoon’s largest indoor show to-date riffs on some of the stranger and more striking elements of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, including the use of Time as a physical character, the unique mash-up of tragedy and comedy, the contradictory absurdity of a ship landing on the coast of a landlocked nation, and one of Shakespeare’s most well-known but enigmatic stage directions, “Exit, pursued by a bear.”

ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List  

Why?  Do the Math:

27 rooms. Redmoon is building rooms of various size throughout its cavernous 18,000-square-foot headquarters, each with its own lighting and a vintage record player setting a unique tone.  

o   One room features a forest, pond and boat.

o   Another has a surreal kitchen on a spring morning.

o   Another, an elaborate bedroom with some hidden surprises.

35-40 performers overall

o   8 Bellboys, who serve as guides/chaperones for the audience

o   8 Bears, who serve as agents of chaos

o   12 masked actors, portraying two main characters throughout the various scenes

A new mobile device, the “Piano Bar,” that’s part Bear-playing-piano and part functional bar, which will roam the space.  

But of course!

Redmoon presents its Spring Spectacle

Bellboys, Bears and Baggage

Epic indoor journey 

combining unique masks, movement and richly detailed rooms 

in one-of-a-kind, choose-your-own-adventure through Redmoon’s 

expansive industrial home

2120 S. Jefferson St, May 18 – June 8

Redmoon, Chicago’s acclaimed Spectacle theater, presents its 2014 Spring Spectacle, Bellboys, Bears and Baggage, bringing the magnitude of its outdoor Spectacle performances indoors to transform its massive 18,000-square-foot Pilsen warehouse studio into a theatrical world of revelry, reflection and revelation. Audiences are given the freedom to move about Redmoon's one-of-a-kind space to encounter scenes, images, dances and music. Bellboys, Bears and Baggage is performed Thursday through Sunday evenings, with staggered entrance times, at 2120 S. Jefferson Street, May 18 – June 8. 

Conceived by Jim Lasko (Redmoon Executive Artistic Director) and Blake Montgomery (former Artistic Director of the Building Stage), directed by Montgomery and designed by Frank Maugeri (Redmoon Producing Artistic Director). 

Redmoon brings its outdoor large-scale productions indoors. Scenes are played in separate rooms throughout the mammoth home, each richly detailed, using time, space and architecture to explore theatrical dimension. Bears prowl the space, both in and in between the scenes. Character masks provide visual continuity as the audience sees a male and female protagonist in various moments that, collectively, investigate falling in and out of love. A corps of luggage-toting bellboys usher viewers through the space. The story is not linear. Audiences can choose for themselves what scenes, and in what order, they experience during the event. Secrets and magical surprises reward viewers’ curiosity, challenging and encouraging them to create their own journey. Movement, gesture, imagery and music combine for a mostly language-free storytelling experience. 

“Normally in the theater, we sit in one place and watch as a series of events are presented to us. Even in the ‘promenade’ style, the order of events is usually pre-determined,” Montgomery noted. “The result is a passive form of entertainment where the audience has little responsibility for their own experience. Bellboys, Bears and Baggage creates a world rich in detail and depth of feeling that exists continuously in looped patterns, of various lengths installed in various rooms and of various scales, throughout the space. No two audience members will share the same experience, but all will begin to see the same patterns and themes emerge. I’m thrilled to create an experience that gets the audience onto their feet and into their heads and using their hearts, changing the role of the audience through a dramatic landscape in four dimensions.”

Dates, Entrance Times and Tickets

Bellboys, Bears and Baggage opens Sunday, May 18 and runs every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening through June 8.  

Audiences enter every half hour, 7-9 pm Thursdays, 7-11 pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 6-8 pm Sundays. The experience is designed to take approximately 90 minutes, but may vary depending on each individual’s choices as they craft their own personal journey. A lounge with cash bar opens one hour prior to the first entrance and remains open until 11 pm Thursdays, 1 am Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 pm Sundays.

Tickets are $30 general admission, $25 each for groups of 10 or more, or $15 for students with valid ID ages 16 and up. Tickets are available through Redmoon’s box office at 312-850-8440 x123 or online at www.redmoon.org.

Redmoon Says:

I wanted to share how excited we are for you to join us at Bellboys, Bears, and Baggage. 

You are not going to believe our fully transformed space.  We've created an entirely new world for you to explore - with 17,000 square feet, multiple installations, interactive amusements, and more - all inspired by Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. 

This is our first Spring Spectacle at our home in Pilsen, and it is a mammoth, epic production. 

You have three weekends to see this one-of-a-kind show.  Click here to buy your tickets now.

Best, 

Frank 

Producing Artistic Director

Want to learn more about the genius behind the spectacle?

About the Artists

To learn more about Jim Lasko, visit www.redmoon.org/people/jim-lasko.

To learn more about Blake Montgomery, visit www.redmoon.org/people/blake-montgomery 

To learn more about Frank Maugeri, visit www.redmoon.org/people/frank-maugeri. 

For more information on Redmoon and its programs, visit www.redmoon.org.

Check back with ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. 

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DREAMWORKS HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR LANDS IN CHICAGO 7/25!

Astrid (Sarah McCreanor) Flying 

production photos by Lisa Tomasetti

Dragons and Drama and Dreamworks...oh my

High-Flying, Fire-Breathing Dragons Take Flight on Worldwide Tour

on the Heels of Smash Hit Run in Australia & New Zealand

United Center, Chicago, July 25-29, 2012

Tickets on Sale Now

______________________________________________________________

ChiIL Mama is sooo stoked for opening night, next Wednesday!!   Our family can not wait to see the giant, fire breathing dragons interacting with live action martial arts, aerial arts and acrobatics.   Dragons and Vikings are two of our favorite subjects and our whole family LOVES the movie version of How to Train Your Dragon.   I think I'm even more excited about it than the kids are.


Don't miss this one.   ChiIL Mama's readers can get a special 25% discount with the code MOM!   *25% off on select weekday show seats (includes Friday nights) available for ALL shows nationwide with the promo code MOM.


As most of you know, my 9 & 11 year olds have trained in circus arts for two years with CircEsteem and are on the pre-team, so aerial acts and circus arts are of particular interest to our family.   My son is training in trapeze and silks and my daughter has taken both those classes and spanish web, lyra, and Chinese pole too!   


We see a lot of circus shows, but when you add in Vikings and mythical creatures this is sure to be an experience unlike any other.

How To Train Your Dragon, Nadder and Viking

This summer, Chicago audiences will experience the magic of Viking warriors and fire-breathing dragons that soar through arena skies in DREAMWORKS HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR. The smash hit show from Australia and New Zealand will delight audiences at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison Street, for five days only, July 25-29, 2012. To bring the beloved 3D-animated movie How to Train Your Dragon to life, DreamWorks Animation – the studio behind other modern classics including Madagascar, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda – enlisted Global Creatures, the masterminds behind the international phenomenon Walking with Dinosaurs. The result is a breathtaking live action experience in which 23 dragons (some with wingspans of up to 46 feet), Viking warriors and world-class circus artists and acrobats, perform against a state-of-the-art, wall-to-floor immersive projection measuring more than 20,000 square feet.

The high-tech, high-energy spectacular breaks every rule of theatrical entertainment to fully immerse audiences into the show in ways that have not been attempted before. Barely contained within the arena, DREAMWORKS HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR  utilizes the full venue, maximizing every dimension of the performance space to transport audiences into a mythical world of fire-breathing dragons that float underwater and soar and bank overhead at great speeds. The state-of-the-art animatronic technology and large-scale cinematic projections interact seamlessly with the live actors, who bring DreamWorks Animation’s heartwarming story to life through theatrical storytelling, martial arts and acrobatics.

Hiccup (Rarmian Newton) and Toothless Flying

"The creativity, technology and sheer size of this show is unprecedented and we are thrilled to serve as hosts here at the United Center," said Vince Amatuzzi, Director of Marketing, United Center. "Children and adults alike will marvel at the magnitude of the experience and won't soon forget it."

DREAMWORKS HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR will appear at the United Center on Wednesday, July 25 at 7:00 PM; Thursday, July 26 at 7:00 PM; Friday, July 27 at 7:00 PM; Saturday, July 28 at 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM; and Sunday, July 29 at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM with free parking at official United Center parking lots for all performances.

Tickets are on sale now and start at $26.50 plus applicable facility fees and service charges.  They may be purchased through Ticketmaster or by going to www.unitedcenter.com.  A limited number of special premium Dragon Hot Seats, VIP and family packages are available.

A remarkable sneak peek of DREAMWORKS HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR aired May 11 on the TODAY Show. 

For more information on DREAMWORKS HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR, please visit  www.dreamworksdragonslive.com.

ABOUT HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR was created by DreamWorks Animation, producers of the Academy Award®-nominated film, How to Train Your Dragon, which grossed approximately $500 million at the worldwide box office and opened as the #1 film in more than 30 countries, and Global Creatures, the masterminds behind the international phenomenon Walking with Dinosaurs, the #1-grossing world tour of 2010. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR’s worldwide tour is exclusively promoted by S2BN Entertainment and delivers some of the most ambitious theatrical technology to ever tour the arena.

The live production rolls fire-breathing action, epic adventure and heartfelt laughter into an original captivating story set in the mythical world of Vikings and wild dragons.  Based on the book by Cressida Cowell, it centers on Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers.  Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view. The story presents a vision so grand in scale that only DreamWorks Animation and Global Creatures could bring How to Train Your Dragon to life in front of a live audience.

“In our film, audiences around the world were transported to the mythical world of Vikings and dragons… and now, we are excited to immerse them in a one-of-a-kind live event in HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation. “The innovative team at Global Creatures and the creative storytellers at DreamWorks Animation have done an inspired job in every imaginable way to present this story on an unprecedented scale that will take global audiences to unforgettable new heights. We are happy to be working with Michael Cohl and his team at S2BN Entertainment to promote and take this show around the world.”

Global Creatures Chief Executive Officer Carmen Pavlovic added, “With DreamWorks we have forged a relationship with one of the world’s leading entertainment companies. The collaboration fuses our own world-class technology with the vision and dedication of a company renowned for its cutting-edge creativity and storytelling skill. We are excited to expand the boundaries of public expectation by creating a show that combines dynamic creatures, world class performers and incredible staging to not only thrill and intrigue, but to engage audiences on an emotional level as well.”

Michael Cohl is the founder and chairman of S2BN Entertainment, global promoter for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR, and serves as lead producer of the Broadway’s smash hit Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Cohl commented, “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR is the next logical step for me after Spider-Man: to be back in arenas where I’ve always been, and where the most exciting things happen. We are thrilled to be setting a new gold standard for live family entertainment while utilizing the full scope and scale of the arena floor and fly space. The show delivers cutting-edge production values which tell an incredible story and create an unforgettable and magical experience. This show will mesmerize children and parents alike.”

“A visual and technical work of mind-boggling proportions.” – Australian Stage

Sponsored by HP, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR is brought to life through state-of-the-art technology unlike anything ever seen before in a live event experience.  Through DreamWorks Animation’s ongoing strategic relationship with HP, HP technology is part of the digital backbone for the production, providing family audiences across the globe with the most captivating live entertainment possible.

“Nothing less than sensational.” – Aussietheater.com

Young Hollywood actor Riley Miner, an accomplished dancer and musical theater performer, will play the lead role of Hiccup.  Joining Miner to share the role of Hiccup is Rarmian Newton, who won a Helpmann Award for his performance in the Australian production of Billy Elliot The Musical (2008). American stunt performer Gemma Nguyen, a third degree Black Belt and six-time world champion in Tae Kwon Do, plays Astrid.  Sharing the role of Astrid is 19-year-old Queenslander Sarah McCreanor who has starred in her own comedic productions and performed in a range of musicals and comedy shows.  Stalwart Australian actor Robert Morgan plays Stoick, Hiccup’s father and the rough and ready old-school chieftain of the brawny Viking tribe.  American Will Watkins, an accomplished fencer, will star as Gobber; French Kung Fu champion and stuntman Godefroy Ryckewaert plays Snotlout and Texan hip-hop dancer and rapper Dexter Mayfield will play Fishlegs. Australian hip-hop and break-dancer Virackhaly Ngeth has been cast as Ruffnut and Sydney break-dancer Frace Luke Mercado, a founding member of SKB (Street Kulture Breakers), as Tuffnut.

The cast of performers is assisted by an international technical team who has collectively created many of the world’s most memorable spectacles.  The team is led by award-winning director Nigel Jamieson, who won the 2011 Helpmann Award as Best Director for his production of Opera Australia’s La Fanciulla del West, as well as production designer Peter England and costume / projection designer Dan Potra.  The dragons themselves are created by Sonny Tilders and his team at The Creature Technology Company, whose work includes Walking With Dinosaurs – the Arena Spectacular.  The cast of 23 dragons pays homage to all of the favorites from the DreamWorks Animation film, including the single largest animatronic creature ever made by The Creature Technology Company. The stunning score features compositions from Icelandic singer-songwriter Jonsi from Sigur Ros and Oscar-nominated British film composer John Powell, who created the original score for the feature film.

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

DreamWorks Animation creates high-quality entertainment, including CG animated feature films, television specials and series, live entertainment properties and online virtual worlds, meant for audiences around the world.  DreamWorks Animation is the largest animation studio in the world and has released 23 animated feature films, which have enjoyed both critical and commercial successes. These include the franchise properties of Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. DreamWorks Animation became the first studio to produce all of its feature films in 3D and in 2010 became the first Company to release three CG feature films in 3D in a single year.  The Company has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by FORTUNE® Magazine for four consecutive years. In 2012, DreamWorks Animation ranks #14 on the list. DreamWorks Theatricals was established by DreamWorks Animation in 2007 to develop and produce live stage and arena show productions inspired by the Company’s franchise properties. Current productions in development – including How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular and Kung Fu Panda Arena Spectacular– are one-of-a-kind, global tours and immersive entertainment experiences for the whole family. DreamWorks Theatricals productions are guided by much of the creative leadership team that develops the studio’s award-winning feature films.

Making of the dragons 4 - Gronckle

GLOBAL CREATURES

Global Creatures is an international entertainment group that develops new and exciting theatrical productions to take to audiences around the world.  The animatronics arm, The Creature Technology Company, invents and deploys the latest in animatronic design.  Their hugely successful production Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular, based on the award-winning BBC TV series, represents a new entertainment genre all on its own.  The production is a spectacle of unprecedented size and quality, which captivates young and old alike.  The Walking with Dinosaurs tour was the number-one tour worldwide in 2010.  Global Creatures has announced King Kong – Live on Stage, which will be produced in cooperation with the estate of “Kong” creator Merian C. Cooper.  Global Creatures and Bazmark (the multimedia company founded and owned by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin) has announced a partnership to produce a stage musical adaptation of the first movie of Baz Luhrmann’s groundbreaking Red Curtain Trilogy, Strictly Ballroom.

S2BN ENTERTAINMENT

S2BN is an entertainment company specializing in the production of family oriented shows for theaters and arenas.  Currently, S2BN has three successful shows in operation: the record-breaking smash hit Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway; Rock of Ages now in its fourth year on Broadway, recently opened in London, touring throughout North America and on June 1, 2012 a major Warner Bros. Picture Release; and thirdly, Fuerza Bruta, also in its fifth year in New York and touring throughout the world.  For 30+ years S2BN’s leadership has been a dominant and innovative force in the international concert touring industry, working in exclusive partnerships with renowned, global artists such as The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, U2 and Pink Floyd among many others.  In that time they have also created and/or promoted a wide range of unique family entertainment attractions in tennis, figure skating, motorsports, boxing and wrestling as well as theater, opera and symphony.

RZO DRAGON PRODUCTIONS

The RZO Companies group was formed on July 1, 1988 through the merger of Sound Advice, Inc. and Joseph Rascoff & Company, Inc. by their principals William Zysblat and Joseph Rascoff, respectively. For more than 25 years, RZO and its predecessor organizations have been actively involved in the music business as tour producers and full-service business managers. RZO has represented such illustrious music artists as The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Sting, U2, The Police, Luis Miguel, Patti LaBelle, David Byrne and many others.  The Company also represents personalities such as Carson Daly and Iman, along with the Estates of John Lennon and Ira and George Gershwin.

About the United Center

The United Center is a state-of-the-art, 960,000 square-foot multi-use entertainment facility that has welcomed more than 40 million fans since opening in 1994. Home of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League and the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association, the United Center hosts more than 200 events each year, including the best musical performers, sporting events, family shows and special events in the industry. A commitment to superior service makes the United Center one of the top venues in the world.  For more information, visit United Center's main site here.









Astrid (Sarah McCreanor) and Hiccup (Rarmian Newton), photo credit Lisa Tomasetti